When I was leaving work yesterday (I have a work study position at Hillel on campus), my boss, the Rabbi, who I am very close with, was talking with someone who I had never seen before. I came to find out the girl was a student from Spain who had grown up Catholic but was exploring Judaism. The Rabbi, Reb K, asked me to explain to this girl what being Jewish meant to me. It took me a minute or so to compile my thoughts because after a whole life time of being Jewish, my religion has a lot of different meanings to me, but then I knew exactly what to say. The overarching theme in my experience with Judaism was the connections. When I meet someone else who is Jewish there is almost instantly a connection.
I was thinking about it after I left and I think this is true with many cultural minorities in America, or anywhere for that matter. The girl in Hillel was saying that when she meets someone with a Spanish accent they immediately find a way to connect. When I have been in a foreign country and meet someone American, it is very likely that I will try to talk to them and even make friends because we have something in common that I don't have in common with anyone else. People from the same culture share similarities in how they were raised, what they enjoyed doing when they were growing up, what TV shows they watch, and what sports teams they like. It is the perfect collision of your friends affecting what you do, and what you do affecting who you are friends with. It takes into account all aspects of how networks are thought to work. When everyone is the same it can be hard to figure out who to make connections with, but when you are one of a few who share some commonality, you know exactly who you need to connect with, because they are the ones who will understand.
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